Hurun India U35 List 2026: Bengaluru Leads With 52 Resident Founders, Mumbai Follows With 30
Bengaluru leads India as the top hub for young entrepreneurs on the Avendus Wealth – Hurun India U35 List 2026, hosting 35 corporate headquarters and 52 resident founders aged 35 and under. Mumbai ranks second with 28 headquarters, followed by Gurugram. Overall, the U35 cohort features 180 leaders with a total valuation of INR 48 lakh crore.
Bengaluru has retained its position as India's premier startup capital, leading major metropolitan areas as the top destination for young business leaders and housing the highest concentration of enterprises founded or led by individuals aged 35 and under. According to the Avendus Wealth – Hurun India U35 List 2026, India's technology hub hosts 35 corporate headquarters of companies within this demographic, outpacing Mumbai and the National Capital Region (NCR).
City Rankings and Headquarters Distribution
The Hurun report indicates that Mumbai ranks second with 28 corporate headquarters - an increase of three from the previous year - while Gurugram holds third place with 14 headquarters. New Delhi and Noida share fourth place, each accommodating nine company headquarters.
| Rank | City of Headquarters | No. of Companies | Change |
| 1 | Bengaluru | 35 | -1 |
| 2 | Mumbai | 28 | +3 |
| 3 | Gurugram | 14 | +1 |
| 4 | New Delhi | 9 | +2 |
| 4 | Noida | 9 | +3 |
Founder Demographics and Regional Distribution
Beyond corporate addresses, Bengaluru serves as the primary city of residence for young business builders on the 180-member list, accounting for 52 resident entrepreneurs. Notable figures include Razorpay's Harshil Mathur, Bagmane Developers' Aditya Bagmane, and Joyalukkas' Thomas Mathew. Mumbai follows with 30 resident entrepreneurs, featuring Reliance representatives Akash Ambani and Isha Ambani alongside Madhur Gupta of Lloyds Metals & Energy. New Delhi ranked third with 25 entrepreneurs, including Nykaa's Adwaita Nayar, while Gurugram placed fourth with 14 resident founders led by PRISM (OYO) founder Ritesh Agarwal. Driven by Bengaluru's performance, Karnataka topped state rankings with 53 entrants, followed by Maharashtra with 35 and Delhi with 25.
Macro Trends, Valuation, and Sectoral Growth
The 2026 cohort comprises 180 entrepreneurs across India, marking a 16 per cent rise from 155 leaders in 2025. The cumulative valuation of companies led by the cohort reached INR 48 lakh crore, reflecting a 23 per cent year-on-year increase, with 37 companies valued at over USD 1 billion. First-generation entrepreneurs account for 71 per cent (127 leaders) of the cohort, while next-generation leaders steering family-owned and listed enterprises make up the remaining 29 per cent (53 leaders). The average age of founders dropped to 33, and female representation expanded with 23 women founders, representing a 53 per cent year-on-year increase. Sectorally, Software Products & Services led with 18 entrepreneurs, closely followed by FinTech with 17. Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (AI & ML) experienced the sharpest growth, quadrupling from 3 founders in 2025 to 12 in 2026, featuring ventures such as Perplexity, Decagon AI, and Pixis.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 15, 2026 12:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).